Sabbath
Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. (Exodus 20:8 - 11)
Christian theology is an ever expanding field of work. Within the folds of the Bible, new elements constantly appear, making believers of all denominations have to reconsider their beliefs. Sometimes, it’s a foundational belief. Sunday has long been the day of worship for most believers, but not forever. The Bible tells of another day, the Sabbath, where Israël was supposed to spend time in the presence of Yahweh. What is the practice of Sabbath? Why did it change to Sunday? In the modern age, are believers of the Most High supposed to practice Sabbath?
Sabbath, to be brief, is the day of rest and worship ordered by Yahweh at Mount Sinaï (Exodus 20:8 - 11). While it becomes institutional at that moment, the practice predates the Isrealites to the creation story: “ On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested[a] from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation. (Genesis 2:2 - 3)”. The Sabbath is meant to be a day of rest, both physically and spiritually, while spending time in the presence of the Most High. This weekly occurrence lasted a full twenty-four hours, from sunset Friday to sunset on Saturday.
Why the day of worship changed from Saturday to Sunday varies from person to person and is an entire argument. All the while, there is historical proof as to when the practice of Sunday service became popularized: the year 321. The change was made official by the Roman Emperor Constantine I, making it a day of rest across the Empire. Writings of the time by scholars could indicate an anti-semitic sentiment behind the changing of the date. Those analyses of the historical letters do not change the outcome; for the next seventeen centuries, the day of rest would be Sunday and not Saturday.
Common understanding of the day of Sabbath tends to be an acquired idea; a notion that has been passed along, but never researched by the listener. Practice of the Sabbath is now almost exclusive to people who practice Judaïsm, Hebrew Isrealites, Seventh-Day Adventists and smaller congregations. Should the practice be a universal one? Reading of the scripture leads one to believe that that was Yahweh’s intention. The first point that brings this to light is that it isn’t reserved to the jewish people, as Yahweh rested on the seventh day of creation (Genesis 2:2 - 3). As well, He instituted the practice within the ten commandments in the Torah, telling His people that they are to keep it holy (Exodus 20:8 - 11). Finally, Yeshua speaks on the subject Himself during His time on Earth, saying that “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27).
Yeshua says in the book of John, “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). Knowing what the Sabbath is, its history and why the modern believer should practice it should change perceptions. Knowledge of this sort is meant to be reasons to rejoice, as your relationship with Yahweh grows and you become a worker who knows scripture (2 Timothy 2:15). All the while, there is an almost ominous biblical verse that comes into play, that of Hosea 3:3. If the people refuse to acknowledge one of the ten commandments and Yahweh’s instructions, does it make sense why they perish? They lack knowledge and refuse to acquire it.